Mumbai: Edu chairman proposes CCTVs in BMC schools to keep kids safe

Education Committee Chairman Vinod Shelar has written to the municipal commissioner about the proposal, asking him to take important steps to protect the 4.25-lakh school students

After the attack in Peshawar school last month, even the civic body is now waking up to the safety of 4.25 lakh students studying in their schools.

The chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Education Committee, Vinod Shelar, wrote to the civic chief last week, proposing to install CCTV cameras in all 453 school buildings across the 24 wards in the city.

Corporators also raised the issue of unavailability of security guards and caretakers in the civic-run schools during the Standing Committee meeting yesterday.

While other education boards have tightened their security in schools, Standing Committee members are still discussing providing basic security measures like guards and watchmen in schools.

The civic administration, however, remained silent about these lapses, and claimed they were taking care of schools where there were no security personnel.

During the discussion, Shelar discussed his proposal again; the plan asks that the surveillance cameras be placed at the entry and exit points, in order to warn school authorities about any lurking danger beforehand.

Shelar, however, claimed that his letter is yet to get a response from the municipal commissioner. “I have written to Commissioner Sitaram Kunte about installing the CCTV cameras in all the schools of Mumbai, which can be used to monitor schools in the premises itself.

It is the question of safety of 4.25 lakh students who study in municipal schools. The commissioner should take some important measures to protect them,” said Shelar.

BMC speakAdditional Municipal Commissioner S V R Srinivas said, “We will surely look into the proposal and take all necessary measures to keep the children studying with us safe.”

CCTVs at GatewayDuring the Standing Committee meeting, members also discussed the permission the city police is awaiting to allow them to install surveillance cameras at the Gateway of India. Additional Municipal Commissioner SVR Srinivas said that since the proposal also includes permanent barricading of the area, the Heritage Committee, which has to give the go-ahead, has raised objections against it. The state is also expected to pass, in a month, a proposal to install another 2,000-3,000 CCTV cameras in the city.